Buff Scott Jr.
Junior
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2023
- Messages
- 334
- Reaction score
- 107
- Points
- 43
All Died as Heavy Smokers
Yul Brynner
Best known for his role as the bald, strutting monarch of Siam in the long-running Broadway musical The King and I, Brynner smoked up to five packs of cigarettes a day. He died at age 65 on Oct. 10, 1985, 3 months after his final on-stage performance. He filmed an anti-smoking commercial before his death.
Nat King Cole
Born Nathaniel Coles in 1919, he moved from Montgomery, AL, to Chicago when he was 4. His mother taught him to play the piano. An early star with his own television show, Cole’s biggest hits were “Mona Lisa,” “Ramblin’ Rose,” and “The Christmas Song.” A long-time cigarette and pipe smoker, Cole died at 45 in a Santa Monica, CA, hospital 3 weeks after surgery to remove his left lung.
Chuck Connors
Connors played basketball for the Boston Celtics and baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He's known best for his television role as rifle-toting Lucas McCain in The Rifleman, from 1958 to 1963. He appeared in more than 45 films and television shows, including a memorable role in the miniseries Roots. He died of lung cancer at age 71, in 1992.
Joe DiMaggio
The “Yankee Clipper” had a major-league record 56-game hitting streak in 1941 for the New York Yankees, was the husband of Marilyn Monroe, and starred in commercials for Mr. Coffee. DiMaggio made 11 All-Star teams and played in 10 World Series. He spent 99 days in the hospital after surgery for lung cancer. He died of infections and pneumonia associated with the disease in 1999 at the age of 84.
Walt Disney
The creator of Mickey Mouse and other iconic cartoon characters, Disney found success with Steamboat Willie. His empire eventually grew to award-winning movies, The Wonderful World of Disney television show, and Disneyland, which opened in 1955. A second park in Florida was in the works when he went to the hospital for surgery to remove part of his lung. He died 6 weeks later, shortly after his 65th birthday.
Betty Grable
With her “girl next door” looks, Grable was one of the most successful actresses of Hollywood’s Golden Era, at one time holding the title of the highest paid woman in the United States. Born in St. Louis in 1916, she was the No. 1 female box officer earner between 1942 and '51. A lifelong heavy smoker, Grable was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1972 and died a year later.
Peter Jennings
Jennings dropped out of high school to work full-time as a radio reporter. He started with ABC News in 1964 and covered everything from the Civil Rights movement to the Middle East conflict before he became the network’s evening news anchor. A longtime smoker, Jennings quit for a time, only to restart after 9/11. He underwent aggressive chemotherapy for lung cancer, only to die of the disease in 2005. He was 67.
Dean Martin
A member of Hollywood’s Rat Pack, the suave and sophisticated Martin was born Dino Paul Crocetti in 1917. Martin met Jerry Lewis in 1946. That pairing led to 16 feature films, plus popular radio and television programs. They split in 1956, and Martin went on to headline in Las Vegas, host his own TV show, and star in numerous movies. He died of acute respiratory failure stemming from lung cancer at age 78, in 1995.
Vincent Price
Price, best known for his roles in horror and thriller movies, made a famous cameo appearance in Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video. His role in the 1953 film House of Wax cemented his reputation as a villain. Price died in 1993 after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 82.
John Wayne
Marion Robert Morrison was a prop boy at Fox Studios in Hollywood. When stuntmen refused to jump in the ocean for one scene, director John Ford asked Morrison if he’d fill in. Most known for his westerns, Wayne played a variety of roles in everything from war movies to romantic leads. He made more than 200 films. A heavy smoker, Wayne had most of his left lung removed in 1964 and died of complications from stomach cancer 15 years later. He was 72.
Sammy Davis Jr.
The day after a 1989 performance in Florida, this legendary entertainer and Rat Pack member awoke with an odd sore throat. The culprit was cancer behind his vocal cords. Eight weeks of radiation treatment seemed to cure it. But the next year, Davis was hospitalized for what seemed like a gum infection. Doctors found that his throat cancer had come back. Davis stopped chemotherapy and died shortly later at age 64.
Best known for his role as the bald, strutting monarch of Siam in the long-running Broadway musical The King and I, Brynner smoked up to five packs of cigarettes a day. He died at age 65 on Oct. 10, 1985, 3 months after his final on-stage performance. He filmed an anti-smoking commercial before his death.
Nat King Cole
Born Nathaniel Coles in 1919, he moved from Montgomery, AL, to Chicago when he was 4. His mother taught him to play the piano. An early star with his own television show, Cole’s biggest hits were “Mona Lisa,” “Ramblin’ Rose,” and “The Christmas Song.” A long-time cigarette and pipe smoker, Cole died at 45 in a Santa Monica, CA, hospital 3 weeks after surgery to remove his left lung.
Chuck Connors
Connors played basketball for the Boston Celtics and baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He's known best for his television role as rifle-toting Lucas McCain in The Rifleman, from 1958 to 1963. He appeared in more than 45 films and television shows, including a memorable role in the miniseries Roots. He died of lung cancer at age 71, in 1992.
Joe DiMaggio
The “Yankee Clipper” had a major-league record 56-game hitting streak in 1941 for the New York Yankees, was the husband of Marilyn Monroe, and starred in commercials for Mr. Coffee. DiMaggio made 11 All-Star teams and played in 10 World Series. He spent 99 days in the hospital after surgery for lung cancer. He died of infections and pneumonia associated with the disease in 1999 at the age of 84.
Walt Disney
The creator of Mickey Mouse and other iconic cartoon characters, Disney found success with Steamboat Willie. His empire eventually grew to award-winning movies, The Wonderful World of Disney television show, and Disneyland, which opened in 1955. A second park in Florida was in the works when he went to the hospital for surgery to remove part of his lung. He died 6 weeks later, shortly after his 65th birthday.
Betty Grable
With her “girl next door” looks, Grable was one of the most successful actresses of Hollywood’s Golden Era, at one time holding the title of the highest paid woman in the United States. Born in St. Louis in 1916, she was the No. 1 female box officer earner between 1942 and '51. A lifelong heavy smoker, Grable was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1972 and died a year later.
Peter Jennings
Jennings dropped out of high school to work full-time as a radio reporter. He started with ABC News in 1964 and covered everything from the Civil Rights movement to the Middle East conflict before he became the network’s evening news anchor. A longtime smoker, Jennings quit for a time, only to restart after 9/11. He underwent aggressive chemotherapy for lung cancer, only to die of the disease in 2005. He was 67.
Dean Martin
A member of Hollywood’s Rat Pack, the suave and sophisticated Martin was born Dino Paul Crocetti in 1917. Martin met Jerry Lewis in 1946. That pairing led to 16 feature films, plus popular radio and television programs. They split in 1956, and Martin went on to headline in Las Vegas, host his own TV show, and star in numerous movies. He died of acute respiratory failure stemming from lung cancer at age 78, in 1995.
Vincent Price
Price, best known for his roles in horror and thriller movies, made a famous cameo appearance in Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video. His role in the 1953 film House of Wax cemented his reputation as a villain. Price died in 1993 after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 82.
John Wayne
Marion Robert Morrison was a prop boy at Fox Studios in Hollywood. When stuntmen refused to jump in the ocean for one scene, director John Ford asked Morrison if he’d fill in. Most known for his westerns, Wayne played a variety of roles in everything from war movies to romantic leads. He made more than 200 films. A heavy smoker, Wayne had most of his left lung removed in 1964 and died of complications from stomach cancer 15 years later. He was 72.
Sammy Davis Jr.
The day after a 1989 performance in Florida, this legendary entertainer and Rat Pack member awoke with an odd sore throat. The culprit was cancer behind his vocal cords. Eight weeks of radiation treatment seemed to cure it. But the next year, Davis was hospitalized for what seemed like a gum infection. Doctors found that his throat cancer had come back. Davis stopped chemotherapy and died shortly later at age 64.
[And Many More—Sad]
